The Federal Capital Territory Administration on Friday stormed a slum in Wuse, Zone 3, and demolished structures used as brothels as well as hideouts reportedly used by criminals.
Speaking after the exercise, the Senior Special Adviser to the FCT Minister on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement, Ikharo Attah, said the structures constituted environmental nuisance in the area, which is the heart of the city.
He vowed that the exercise would be sustained until the city was rid of the nuisance.
Attah said, “The coordinator of AMMC, Umar Shuaib, got a petition from the neighborhood and was referred to my office. We galvanized relevant agencies together and came here to clear it. We had cleared it before, but sadly, many of them rebuilt it within one or two months.
“We felt so bad that we could see the scavengers in their large numbers returning very quickly. The illegal shops, shanties, and brothels were all returning despite the FCT minister’s commitment and conviction to keep Abuja clean. It’s very disturbing but we are determined to keep the city clean.
“Wuse is the heart of the city and must not be turned into a den of criminals, scavengers, and prostitutes. In the heart of the city, where you have scavengers, criminals, brothels, and shanties, there are bound to be drug peddlers.”
Attah said identity cards of people whose bags were reportedly stolen and those of policemen were found during the operation.
He added, “If we remove this place, they won’t have a place to peddle drugs again or use it as a criminal hideout. We will keep coming and cleaning, and eventually they will have to leave the city.”